Labour leaders welcome Alberta minimum wage increase

The President of The Alberta Federation of Labour says these wage increases have happened every year for four years under the NDP Government.

Gil McGowan says back in 2015 there were many people who were critical of these wage increases, but he says they were wrong.

“This is a win, win scenario. The dire predictions haven’t come to pass and the governments minimum wage policy has actually helped the people it was intended to help,” he said.

However, this is the last minimum wage increase in the term of this government, and McGowan says he’s worried that if the New Democrats are defeated and replaced by a UCP government, Alberta under Jason Kenney will do what Doug Ford has done in Ontario.

“Ford just recently cancelled a planned increase in Ontario’s minimum wage and you know that has the effect of taking $2,000 out of the pockets of every low wage worker in that province,” he said.

In Ontario, workers will still be paid a minimum wage of $14 an hour, while the increase to $15 an hour in Alberta will mean we have the highestminimum wage in Canada.